Artturi Lehkonen, who solved the Stanley Cup, made a tough game at the age of 16

The junior work of the Turku Football Club (TPS) got two big feathers in its hat on Monday when Artturi Lehkonen26, and Mikko Rantanen25, were among the few Finnish Stanley Cup winners.

The success of TPS-puppies in the world’s toughest puck league was born in Turku Karri Kiven to become sensitive.

– It was great that two Stanley Cup winners came to Turku. Turku has been a traditional sports city for ages. It felt especially great, Kivi said.

Kivi, who coaches Ace in Pori, describes Lehko and Ranta as healthy guys who are athletes on top of the latter.

– When you know the effect of the championships on the junior hockey, it feels especially great that there are two such representatives in Finland.

A clear plan

Lehkonen played as a junior in Turku in addition to TPS at TuTo, but he only played league games in Turku in the 2011–12 season.

Lehkonen then made surprising solutions: he packed his cabbage and moved to Kuopio to KalPa and then to SHölunda, Sweden’s top club, for two seasons.

Moving to Sweden in particular was a rare solution from a young and promising Finnish hockey player compared to his peers.

– He is his fiancé Ikan (Ismo Lehkonen) with them pondering. I remember they had a clear plan for ages and ages. Ika knew her son. They took small steps forward, not so that in two years everything has to go to the button. There is indeed a foundation built there to last and for Artturi to get the most out of himself, Kivi says.

Lehkonen has been used to fierce competition since he was a child. During the transfer from TPS to KalPa, Lehkonen even set out to find challenges for himself, even though he was only 16 years old. Lehkonen said at the time that “in Kuopio, you really have to fight for a place to play”.

– And when you go to Frölunda, the organization is one of the top, if not the best, in Europe. It requires complete stretching. And the mental school in Montreal – it’s quite a place to play hockey. The best thing about it all is that when the whole family has beaten their soul into it, then it becomes a reward, Kivi says.

Winning player

– I like winning, Lehkonen also said when he moved to KalPa when he was 16 years old.

Lehkonen is now 26 years old and has even won a surprising amount. In January 2014, he was winning World Cup gold under the age of 20 on a team coached by Karri Kivi.

In Frölunda in the 2015–16 season, Lehkonen won the Champions League and the Swedish Championship. Now, for the second consecutive Stanley Cup final spring, became the most coveted vertical in the World of Hockey.

According to Kivi, it is noteworthy that the Colorado Avalanche acquired Lehkonen just before the transfer deadline. At this point, Avalanche already knew the team was strong.

From Lehkon, Avalanche got an extremely reliable two-way striker, who is still the same skilled player who played as a junior at a point-per-game pace.

– Kouts doesn’t have to think about Lehko. He is always there in important games and pulls the rectum far.

– If there is no power in a game, he will not turn his head, but will play two more terrible power-ups and defend. He can defend even five games into the pipe, and not worry if there are no situations. He wants to succeed as a team and has succeeded.

Because of these things, Lehkonen is a highly regarded player in the NHL, according to Kivi.

– He has not left to be treated at any point, but has always gone ahead with the team.

Artturi Lehkonen scored the winning goal in the second set of the Stanley Cup in the Tampa Bay net. The NHL can be watched on Elisa Entertainment Viaplays and V sport.